Speaking shortly before their tour got underway at Wembley Arena on May 11, guitarist and singer James Bourne credited the band’s fans with its success since the reunion was announced in November 2015 - and said he was looking forward to seeing different fans all around the country.

"It was like Busted had been put on ice," said James.

The band's Pigs Can Fly tour with its innovative Pigsty sees fans on three levels right at the back of the stage given masks and torches to add an element of interaction to the show.

Busted

“It’s mental, we couldn’t be more excited about it, just to create the new live memories as a band,” he said.

“We always like to try and make each of our shows fresh, different to the last one, and what we have this time is really exciting.

“The show is really cool and we will play all the hits and add a few songs in that no-one’s heard before.”

As well as songs never before heard live from albums Busted and A Present For Everyone, James was referring to three brand new songs the trio have been writing together this year, described as “definitely different but still like they belong to us”.

“I think Busted fans will like them and people that weren’t necessarily Busted fans before will like them too,” he said.

However the musician seemed a little touchy when asked about McBusted fans, many of whom were primarily fans of McFly or Busted. He said: “Why should you care about the people who don’t care?”

Regardless, the response since the tour was announced in November has been amazing. Around 100,000 people bought tickets in the first hour of sale, which James said was an incredible response deserving of them playing the best shows possible.

In Busted’s 11 years away since fellow guitarist and singer Charlie Simpson quit the band, which also includes bassist and singer Matt Willis, the fans have grown up too and James thanked all those still supporting them.

“I have a saying that there’s no smoke without fire,” he said. “The band are the smoke and the fans are the fire so in a way the fans are the thing that keep us going.

“If we announced our tour and no fans came then Busted wouldn’t be planning things for the future, we would be calling it a day already but we’re not.

“The band is alive, it’s up and running again and in a way it’s even more invigorated than it was before.”

James also considered how the music industry has undergone “massive evolution” in the time Busted were apart, only partly for the better, although they have embraced social media.

“You have to make the most of what’s changed for the best,” he said. “You have to use the things in your favour as much as you can. You can’t dwell on the things that aren’t the way they used to be otherwise you’ll never change and you’ll be stuck in the past.”